Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Horizon Europe

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their decision to remove the cost of association with Horizon Europe from the provision for research and development in the UK budget; when they made the decision to treat Horizon money as additional funding; how much will be the total annual cost of association with Horizon Europe; and what plans they have to re-assess this decision in the future.

Lord Callanan: I am pleased we reached agreement to take part in Horizon Europe; it will bring huge benefits to the UK. We are continuing to work through the details of the costs for Horizon. We will set out our plans for R&D spend in 2021/22 – including funding for Horizon Europe – in due course.

Small Businesses: Redundancy

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the survey by takepayments, published in February, which found that 30 per cent of small businesses have had to let staff go due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Callanan: Through regular engagement with small and medium-sized businesses, the Government is aware of the issues highlighted by the results of the takepayments survey and recognises the individual impact on those that have lost jobs or had their livelihood affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Plan for Jobs measures announced last year provides significantly expanded employment support, (including extra Work Coaches) to help people who have become newly unemployed, and individuals who have fallen into longer term unemployment, whoever they are and wherever they live. Further support will be announced shortly. DWP Train and Progress (TaP), a new DWP initiative aimed at increasing access to training opportunities for claimants, will see an extension to the length of time people can receive Universal Credit while undertaking work-focused study. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the government has sought to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods across the UK, spending £352 billion on its package of support for affected businesses. This package includes grants, loans, and business rates relief, as well as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) which has been used by 1.3 million employers to support 11.2 million jobs at a value of £53.8 billion. The CJRS has been extended to September 2021. The Budget announced on 3 March 2021 also sets out how it will support a plan for recovery that focusses on backing business, improving skills, and creating jobs. As part of this support, businesses of any size will still be able to access loans and other forms of finance worth up to £10m via the new Recovery Loan Scheme which launched on 6 April, replacing the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans scheme. The Restart Grant supports businesses in the non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure, personal care and accommodation sectors with a one-off grant, to reopen safely as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that homeless people receive COVID-19 vaccinations.

Lord Bethell: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recognises that many people who are homeless or sleeping rough are likely to have underlying health conditions which would place them in priority group six. These conditions are likely to be under-diagnosed or not properly reflected in general practitioner (GP) records. The JCVI has advised that homeless people should be offered the vaccine without the need for a National Health Service number or GP registration.There is work being undertaken to update our operational guidance on reaching rough sleepers and homeless people based on this recent JCVI advice. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government are working closely with NHS England and NHS Improvement to support outreach, and further work is being done to explore the availability of effective on-street models which could be used to support this work. Local teams are now prioritising all homeless people for vaccination alongside priority group six.

North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the North Central LondonClinical Commissioning Group approved the control of eight GP Services contracts to be passedto Operose Health; and what consultation involving (1) local authorities, and (2) patient representatives, was undertaken beforethat decision was approved.

Lord Bethell: After forming a partnership with Operose Health Ltd, the contract owner AT Medics Ltd asked permission of the the North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) as the commissioner of the relevant services, for the transfer of the holdings to Operose Health Ltd. Such a transfer is allowed under the terms of the GP contract. In this case, there was no legal or contractual basis for the CCG to reject the transfer as it will not lead to any significant change in service provision. The contract owner remains AT Medics Ltd and the change of control of the holding company to Operose Health Ltd does not affect service provision in any way.No consultation involving local authorities and patient representatives was undertaken as this is only required when there is a significant change in service provision.

NHS: Apprentices

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of interest in NHS apprenticeships; and what estimate, if any, they have made of the number of people they expect to apply to such schemes in the next 12 months.

Lord Bethell: There is a high level of interest in National Health Service apprenticeships. Data from the Department for Education shows over 18,000 NHS apprentices started training in 2019/20 in a range of roles.We have not undertaken an estimate of the numbers of applications to NHS apprentice schemes in the next 12 months.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish a daily report of the number of people who have received a COVID-19 vaccination in each 24 hour period.

Lord Bethell: The Government publishes daily data on the number of people who have received a vaccination, first and second dose, on the National Health Service online COVID-19 vaccinations dashboard.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken totailor their approach to BAME communitiesto aid uptake of theCOVID-19 vaccine.

Lord Bethell: Over £23 million has been allocated through the Community Champions scheme to 60 councils and voluntary groups across England to expand work to support those most at risk from COVID-19 and boost vaccine take up. The Department of Health and Social Care, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the National Health Service hold regular meetings with local authorities, faith leaders and black, Asian and minority ethnic organisations to provide advice and information about COVID-19 vaccines and how they will be made available.  A coalition of trusted voices to promote vaccine confidence in target audiences will be built and also provide us the opportunity to listen to concerns and adjust our approach. Local NHS staff and council officials have attended online question and answer sessions facilitated by local community leaders and community engagement workers have visited areas of low vaccine uptake to provide information in spoken and written community languages.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty's Government how long the immunity resulting from the COVID-19 vaccines lastsfor in different (1) age, and (2) ethnic, groups.

Lord Bethell: It is currently too early to say how long the immunity resulting from COVID-19 vaccines will last. More data will be published as the programme progresses through to second doses.

Coronavirus: Care Homes

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they first started testing all care home staff for COVID-19 in England.

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they first started testing all care home residents for COVID-19 in England.

Lord Bethell: The Department began piloting testing of care homes on 1 May 2020 and launched the care home portal to allow care home managers to order tests for all staff and residents on 11 May. The whole care home portal was expanded to all adult care homes, including care homes for adults with learning disabilities or mental health issues, for all care home residents and care home staff, regardless of symptoms, on 7 June.Regular retesting for residents and staff of care homes for over 65 year olds and dementia commenced from 6 July. This included weekly testing for staff and every 28 days for residents. All remaining adult care homes were able to apply for retesting from 31 August.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many COVID-19 vaccines have been disposed of in the UK as a result of missed vaccination appointments.

Lord Bethell: This information is not held centrally.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Baroness Young of Old Scone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide denominator information (1) by priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination, and (2) by ethnic group, to local public health directors and their staff; if they plan to provide such information, when they will do so; and what assessment they have made of the potential for such information to enable local conversations about how to improve uptake between local public health directors and those communities with poorer uptake of COVID-19 vaccination.

Lord Bethell: We are committed to ensuring that local authorities and Directors of Public Health have the data they need to understand uptake in their local areas and tailor efforts to reach those who have not yet taken up the offer of a vaccine appointment.Data on number of COVID-19 vaccinations given is being shared with Directors of Public Health at both a Middle Layer Super Output Area level and a lower tier local authority level. This includes both data by age cohort and ethnic group. Directors of Public Health also receive vaccination uptake and denominator information for age cohorts and priority groups, by ethnicity and deprivation index at sustainability transformation partnership and Lower Layer Super Output Area level. This provides information on vaccine uptake that enables local conversations about designing and improving operational delivery locally.

Kidney Diseases: Medical Treatments

Baroness Cumberlege: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will undertake a review to assess the benefits of home haemodialysiscompared to in-centre dialysis for supporting dialysis patients safely to shield from COVID-19.

Lord Bethell: NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that there are currently no plans to undertake such a review. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence COVID-19 rapid guideline: dialysis service delivery, sets out guidance for clinicians to maximise the safety of patients on dialysis during the pandemic, both at home and in dialysis units. It contains recommendations for providers to continue and maintain current home dialysis provision where possible and to consider the possibility of increasing provision for new incident patients. A copy of the guideline is attached.COVID-19: dialysis service delivery (pdf, 110.4KB)

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Israel's approach to administering vaccinations for COVID-19; and what aspects of that approach, if any, they have drawn on for the implementation of the UK's COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Lord Bethell: We have not made a formal assessment. However, the Department continues to monitor vaccine deployment programmes across the world, including Israel, to share learning and collaborate internationally on the role of deploying safe, effective vaccines in the response to COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to deliver a 24 hour a day COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Lord Bethell: University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and Nottinghamshire's Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been piloting 24 hours a day vaccination services since 20 January.  NHS England will continue to test extended opening hours, including 24 hours a day provision and findings will be kept under review.

Coroners: Perinatal Mortality

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progressthey have made regarding the consultation on coronial investigations of stillbirths since it closed on 18 June 2019.

Lord Bethell: Work on analysing the responses to the consultation has been delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic but we hope to publish the response to the consultation as soon as possible.

Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the measures (1) in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) aimed at minimising the impact of COVID-19 among BAME communities.

Lord Bethell: Throughout the pandemic the Government has sought robust scientific evidence and advice to guide decisions regarding the measures taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and its sub-groups has undertaken significant wider analysis and evaluation including consideration of economic impacts, the level of compliance with measures, amount of enforcement needed and impacts felt by local authorities. The measures taken have been effective at slowing the virus while balancing the need to protect the economy.The Minister for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP) is leading cross-Government work to tackle disparities experienced by ethnic minority groups The second quarterly report, published on 26 February 2021, set out work conducted since the first quarterly report, including reviewing the effectiveness of current actions being undertaken by the Government to lessen disparities in infection and death rates. The report reflects that considerable efforts are underway to address these disparities, including through the Community Champions scheme led by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which has provided £23.75 million in funding to local authorities. The report commits the Government to monitoring the impact of the scheme. The report found that the direct impacts of COVID-19 improved for ethnic minorities as a whole during the early second wave. A copy of the Second quarterly report on progress to address COVID-19 health inequalities is attached. The Government remains committed to addressing ethnic disparities and tackling deprivation will be a particular focus of work in the third quarter.

Miscarriage: Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey conducted a consultation to inform their actions pursuant to section 3 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc.) Act 2019; and if so, what the outcome of the consultation was.

Lord Bethell: The Government has not conducted a consultation to inform actions pursuant to section 3 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc.) Act 2019. The Pregnancy Loss Review team has been speaking with women and men with lived experience of pregnancy loss, clinicians, nurses, bereavement midwives, registrars, faith leaders, charities and officials in the United Kingdom and other countries, drawing on other methods for gathering evidence.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish all the vaccine effectiveness assessments which Public Health England has provided to date to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

Lord Bethell: Public Health England (PHE) has provided various vaccine effectiveness assessments to the Joint Committee on Vaccine and Immunisation (JCVI). The assessments provided are recorded in the minutes of the JCVI meetings which are published online.PHE’s monitoring of vaccine effectiveness is also regularly published online.

Prisoners: Mental Health

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar on 10 March (HL13677), what assessment NHS England & Improvement has made of the impact on the mental health of prisoners of being confined to their cells for 23 hours a day or more.

Lord Bethell: NHS England and NHS Improvement recognise that isolation and limited interaction with others over a prolonged period of time will have an impact upon prisoners’ mental health and well-being. Across the prison estate, healthcare teams including mental health professionals have been working in partnership with colleagues to identify and meet the mental health needs of the population, provide resources and appropriate interventions to promote well-being and prevent ill-health.

Gambling: Health Services

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they will give to gambling-related harm as part of their forthcomingcross-government Addiction Strategy.

Lord Bethell: Due to the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, work on the cross-Government addictions strategy has been delayed. While the scope of the strategy is yet to be determined, it is likely to include gambling-related harms.

Euthanasia and Suicide

Baroness Grey-Thompson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the study 'Does Euthanasia Have a Dampening Effect on Suicide Rates? Recent Experiences from the Netherlands', published in the Journal of Ethics in Mental Health on 28 December 2017, and (2) the relationship between the legalisation of assisted suicide and suicide rates in the general population; and what plans they have to address any such relationship as part of their Cross-Government Suicide Prevention Work plan, published in January 2019.

Lord Bethell: The Government has made no formal assessment of these studies, nor of the relationship between the legislation of assisted suicide and the rate of suicide in the general population.

Department for Education

ICT: Further Education

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Learning and Work Institute Disconnected? Exploring the digital skills gap, published on 22 March; and what steps they are taking to encourage more young people to enrol in further education IT courses.

Baroness Berridge: Computing provides individuals with the knowledge and expertise to access the digital skills of the future.This government wants every child in England to have access to a world-class computing education. That is why we created the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) in 2019, backed by £84 million of government funding, to improve the quality of computing teaching in England and drive-up participation to the computer science GCSE and A level. Since the NCCE’s creation, nearly 30,000 teachers have engaged with the programme.The computer science GCSE was taken by over 77,000 pupils in 2019 and, from 2013 to 2019, was one of the fastest growing GCSE subjects. We recognise that some pupils who would previously have chosen to study information and communications technology (ICT), may not choose to study computer science due to the fundamental differences in content. In 2019, over 48,000 pupils took a level 2 ICT Technical Award, which are high quality equivalents to the computer science GCSE and are included in school performance tables.The department is reviewing post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below, including ICT and digital qualifications, to ensure that every qualification approved for public funding has a distinct purpose, is high quality and supports progression to positive outcomes. Our aim is for clearer qualifications choices for young people and adults.For 16 to 18 year olds, we are introducing T Levels as a new, high quality technical education route. T Levels in digital production, design and development are now being taught and will be followed by T Levels in digital support services and digital business services, from September this year.For adults (19+) with no or low digital skills, we have introduced a legal entitlement to study new Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQs) at entry level and level 1 for free. EDSQs are a new qualification type, based on new national standards for essential digital skills, which will provide adults with the digital skills needed for life and work. We also continue to support the provision of basic digital skills training for adults in community learning settings through the Adult Education Budget.Employers have continued to recognise the value apprentices bring to their businesses. Starts in the ICT sector subject area have increased per academic year from 15,470 in 2016/17 to 21,110 in 2018/19. In 2019/20, there were 18,230 starts.In higher education, computer science degrees saw the largest percentage increase in new entrants at 7%, alongside Medicine and Dentistry and Business and Administrative Studies.Outside of the education system, the department has invested £2.5 billion to deliver the National Skills Fund. As part of this, Skills Bootcamps are being delivered, which are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving adults aged 19 and over the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer. In September 2020, bootcamps launched in 4 areas, initially focusing on digital skills such as software development, digital marketing and data analytics. Registrations opened in December 2020 for more bootcamps in three regions, and from April 2021, we are investing a further £43 million to extend further in England. These bootcamps will cover digital skills and technical skills training.From April 2021, any adult aged 24 and over, looking to achieve a first full level 3 will be able to access a fully funded course, which will give them new skills and greater prospects in the labour market.We will target this on subject areas that have strong outcomes at level 3 linked to labour market need, including a range of qualifications that are valuable across the economy in multiple sectors, such as digital skills, accountancy, and business skills.

Languages: GCE A-level and GCSE

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Global Future Silenced Voices, published on 10 March; and what plans they have to help community language teaching (1) recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) increase.

Baroness Berridge: The government remains committed to increasing take-up of all languages at GCSE through the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). Languages serve to broaden young people’s horizons and, as referred to in the Global Future Silenced Voices report, provides them with a number of employment opportunities and equips them with valuable skills that help ensure they can compete in the global market.Since 2014, the national curriculum was reformed to include a modern or ancient language from age 7 to 11 at key stage 2. The expectation for secondary schools is to teach a modern language from age 11 to 14 at key stage 3 and for an increasing proportion of 14 to 16 year olds at key stage 4 to study a GCSE in a foreign language. Since 2010, the proportion of pupils at the end of key stage 4 entering modern foreign language GCSEs has increased from 40% to 46%.We do not prescribe which languages schools should teach. Schools are free to teach any languages, including community languages, for whatever reasons they consider relevant, such as local demographics, social unity, or opening up wider career and future education opportunities. There is a broad range of community languages on offer in which pupils can take a GCSE or A level and we would like this to continue to be the case.The Global Future Silenced Voices report mainly focuses on the importance of those studying GCSEs or A levels in a community language receiving a grade this year – in particular, those who have been studying outside a mainstream school environment. Private candidates can work with a centre to be assessed on a range of evidence, which could include evidence from an established educational provider and the board-provided assessment materials. The Joint Council for Qualifications has issued guidance for centres about assessing private candidates, taking into account their different circumstances.To support centres with the additional requirements of assessing private candidates this year, and avoid the cost being passed on to candidates, we are providing a grant for centres to claim £200 per private candidate entry. The government is encouraging all available exams centres to sign up to help these candidates achieve their qualifications in this exceptional year.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: Coronavirus

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce delays to court cases arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: We are keenly aware of the need to improve timeliness for both defendants and victims, and mitigate the impact of delays on victims and witnesses. Judges have been prioritising the most serious cases throughout the pandemic, including those involving vulnerable victims and witnesses as well as those with defendants nearing custody time limits.We will continue to do more, and the recovery of our courts to full operational capacity is our highest priority in order to reduce waiting times within the justice system. The steps taken so far – to adjust court rooms to hold Covid-secure trials, to open more court rooms, and to move to virtual hearings where possible – have helped. Crown Court disposals increased from June 2020 and were higher than pre-Covid levels for the first two weeks of 2021. The increase has slowed slightly, with disposals throughout February consistently 5% below the pre-Covid baseline, and the outstanding caseload in Magistrates’ courts has reduced from the peak reached in August. As of the end of March 2021, we have created a total of 60 Nightingale courts.We continue to work with partners across the justice system to assess what more can be done to improve the resilience of the courts during the pandemic, and to assist faster recovery. We recognise the particular impact of delays on victims and witnesses, and are providing £151m to victim and witness support services in 2021-22 to ensure victims receive the support they need.

Prisoners' Release

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were released from prison while serving a determinate sentence of 20 years or more in the last year that figures are available; and of these, how many have subsequently been recalled to custody.

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were released from prison in the last year that figures are available while serving (1) a life sentence, or (2) an imprisonment for public protection sentence, having spent at least 10 years in custody; and of these, how many have subsequently been recalled to custody.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The total number of releases and subsequent recalls in the last year that figures are available is provided as follows, broken down by (1) determinate sentences of 20 or more years, (2) prisoners serving life sentences who have been in custody for 10 or more years, and (3) prisoners serving imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences who have been in custody for 10 years or more. Sentence TypeTotal released between 1 Oct 2019 and 30 Sept 2020Total recalled since releaseDeterminate – 20+ years334Life (10+ years in custody)32624IPP (10+ years in custody)21051 These figures have been drawn from the Public Protection Unit Database held by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. As with any large-scale recording systems, the figures are subject to possible errors with data migration and processing. Offenders on licence in the community will be recalled to custody where they breach their licence conditions in such a way as to indicate that their risk has increased to the level where it may no longer be managed effectively in the community, even by the imposition of additional licence conditions and other controls. Recall is a vital measure to protect the public from those who are assessed as likely to commit further offences causing serious harm if they were to remain in the community. Our primary responsibility is to protect the public. HMPPS remains committed to supporting all offenders recalled to custody to reduce their risk, so that the independent Parole Board (or, in the case of some determinate sentence offenders, the Secretary of State using executive powers) may direct their re-release as soon as it is safe to do so.

Prisoners

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people currently in prison serving an imprisonment for public protection sentence who have spent a total period of 10 years or more in custody have been (1) unreleased, and (2) recalled.

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are currently in prison serving a life sentence who have spent a total period of 10 years or more in custody having been either (1) unreleased, or (2) recalled.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The total number of life and imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentence prisoners currently in prison, who have spent a total of at least 10 years in custody and who have either (1) never been released or (2) are in custody having been recalled, is provided below. Sentence TypeUnreleasedRecalledIPP (10+ years in custody)1311257Life (10+ years in custody)3262210 These figures have been drawn from the Public Protection Unit Database held by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. As with any large-scale recording systems, the figures are subject to possible errors with data migration and processing. The total unreleased IPP population is reducing year on year - it stood at 1,849 as of 31 December 2020, down from 2,134 on 31 December 2019. IPP prisoners continue to have a high chance of a positive outcome from Parole Board hearings. In 2019/20 72% of Parole Board hearings resulted in either a recommendation for a progressive transfer to an open prison or release. Offenders on licence in the community will be recalled to custody where they breach their licence conditions in such a way as to indicate that their risk has increased to the level where it may no longer be managed effectively in the community, even by the imposition of additional licence conditions and other controls. Recall is a vital measure to protect the public from those who are assessed as likely to commit further offences causing serious harm if they were to remain in the community. The Government’s primary responsibility is to protect the public. HM Prison and Probation Service remains committed to supporting the progression of those serving IPP and life sentences in custody, so that the Parole Board may direct their release or, as the case may be, re-release, as soon as it is safe to do so.

Prisons: Visits

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prioritise the use of videophones by prisoners with children while family visits are not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and what plans they have for similar prioritisation for prisoners held at long-distance from their families when the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic have ended.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: We are committed to continuing to offer secure video calling after the current Covid-19 restrictions have ended, and are considering future options in line with the recommendations of Lord Farmer’s reviews for maintaining family ties. We will continue to be guided by public health advice, and we will work with our stakeholders to inform our longer-term planning. Secure video calls are now running in all public and private prisons and Young Offender Institutions across England and Wales. This was introduced alongside other measures to support family engagement, such as additional mobile phone handsets and extra phone credit while social visits have been suspended. Social visits in the Youth Custody Service estate have continued and on compassionate grounds in the adult estate.

Prisoners

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners currently sentenced to imprisonment for public protection were convicted of theft.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: None. Offences contrary to section 1 of the Theft Act 1968 (“theft”) never qualified as serious specified offences within the meaning of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 for which a sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) could have been imposed . However, a conviction for certain other offences within the Theft Act 1968, such as that for robbery or aggravated burglary, could have led to an IPP sentence. As of 31 December 2020, there were 714 (339 unreleased and 375 recalled) prisoners serving an IPP sentence who have a recorded offence in the category of “robbery” and 80 (34 unreleased and 46 recalled) prisoners serving an IPP sentence who have a recorded offence in the category of “theft offences”. But these data do not give an indication of the precise specific serious specified offence, or the context or severity of the crimes, which led to a Judge deciding that the case was so serious that it merited the imposition of an IPP sentence. The independent Parole Board determine whether it is safe to release prisoners serving an IPP sentence. Consequently, where a prisoner remains in custody, it is because the Parole Board has judged that their risk is too high for them to be safely managed in the community. The Government’s primary responsibility is to protect the public; however, HM Prison and Probation Service remains committed to supporter prisoners to reduce their risk to the level where the Parole Board will judge that they may now be safely supervised on licence in the community.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Zimbabwe: Human Rights

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Zimbabwe about the human rights situation in that country; and in particular, about (1)reports of corruption and abuse of state funds, and (2) the continued incarceration of Joanna Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We regularly engage with the Government of Zimbabwe to urge their adherence to their human rights obligations and to respect the freedoms and rights enshrined in the Zimbabwean Constitution. The Minister for Africa spoke to the then Zimbabwean Foreign Minister, Sibusiso Moyo in June last year, and wrote to him again in August to raise specific human rights concerns, including over the treatment of opposition members Ms Mamombe, Ms Chimbiri, and Ms Marowa. The Minister for Africa has followed their cases closely, and tweeted on 5 February 2021 to register his concern over their most recent arrests.On 1 February 2021, the UK announced new sanctions to hold to account those individuals responsible for human rights violations in Zimbabwe. We also continue to urge the Government of Zimbabwe and the Anti-Corruption Commission to take the necessary steps to address corruption and illicit financial flows. The UK Ambassador met the new Chair of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission in December 2020 to reinforce these messages. Her Majesty's Government will continue to speak out, both privately and in public, where we have concerns and we will work alongside the international community to support a better future for all Zimbabweans.

Cruise Missiles: Proliferation

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking within appropriate multilateral institutions to develop a strategic response to the proliferation of cruise missiles (1) to foster maximum transparency, and (2) to develop a coherent safeguarding approach within arms control arrangements.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK is a member of relevant multilateral export control regimes, such as the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and the Wassenaar Arrangement. The MTCR seeks to prevent the proliferation of sensitive missile systems and technologies, including cruise missiles, to countries and end users of concern. The Wassenaar Arrangement in turn seeks to prevent the regional destabilising accumulation of conventional weapons, including cruise missile systems.The UK plays an active role in both regimes and through them the UK promotes transparency, the control and greater responsibility in transfers of all missiles types, as well as conventional weapons and related dual-use technologies. In addition, the UK is a State Party to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) which establishes common international standards for regulating the international trade in conventional arms, which includes cruise missile systems. The ATT requires annual reporting on transfers to reinforce transparency among State Parties.

Niger: Economic Situation and Politics and Government

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the political and economic situation in Niger.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK welcomes the first democratic transition of power in Niger's history with the upcoming inauguration of President-Elect Mohamed Bazoum on Friday 2 April. We hope this achievement will help pave the way for greater political stability in the future. However, the UK remains concerned about human rights abuses and violations in Niger. The recent attacks in Niger's border areas are also deeply troubling.Regarding the economic situation in Niger, the country remains at the bottom of the Human Development Index. We are focused on supporting stability in Niger and the wider Sahel. We are providing humanitarian assistance, support for conflict resolution, and tackling the root causes of instability and poverty, including through support to girls' education.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Trapping

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prevent the deaths of (1) birds, and (2) non-target species, in glue traps; and what consideration they have given to a potential ban on the sale of such traps.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We are aware of the concerns around the use of glue traps, including the harm they can cause to captured animals and the capture of non-target species including birds. We are engaging with key stakeholders and exploring options to address these concerns.This Government remains committed to high standards of animal welfare. We are in the process of developing a range of important animal welfare and animal-related measures to strengthen our position as a world leader in this field. This includes delivering our manifesto commitments to introduce new laws on animal sentience, to ban live exports, restrict the imports of trophies from endangered species and ban keeping primates as pets.

Marine Animals: Animal Welfare

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide legal protections for aquatic animals.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: There is a range of legislation already in place to protect aquatic animals including the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975, Eels Regulations 2009, Conservation of Seals Act 1970, the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee has recently commenced the seventh Quinquennial Review of Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Later this year, JNCC will make evidence-based recommendations to the Secretary of State as to which species warrant additional legal protections to secure their future conservation. The Government will consider any recommendations to add species to Schedule 5 or 8, at this point, once these recommendations have been submitted. Further, the Fisheries Act's ecosystems objective contains a requirement to "minimise, and where possible eliminate bycatch of sensitive marine species". We will set out policies that will help to achieve this objective in the Joint Fisheries Statement, which is a UK-wide document.

Home Office

UK Border Force: Northern Ireland

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional support has been offered to Border Force officers in Northern Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Greenhalgh: The safety and health of the public and our staff in NI, as across the entirety of the UK is of the utmost importance and we are doing everything in our power to stop the spread of this deadly disease.We have a robust COVID Safe System of Work in place across all our ports. Lead by national guidance, which is informed by the latest government guidelines in order to advise and lead officers in ensuring their own and the public’s safety throughout this pandemic. This includes working closely with Public Health bodies in order to make sure that all staff members are provided with protective clothing and equipment. Supporting and shielding vulnerable staff members as well as ensuring that every Border Force office and workplace has implemented the guidelines to ensure a ‘COVID secure’ workplace.

Immigration Act 1971

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) arrests, (2) prosecutions, and(3) convictions, there werefor offences committed under section 24 of the Immigration Act 1971 in each of the last five years.

Lord Greenhalgh: 20/2119/2018/1917/1816/17Arrests129164257209Charges116132448154Convictions48112348117

European Institute of Human Sciences

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the activities of the European Institute for Human Sciences in respect of any risk to (1) UK national security, and (2)the incidence of anti-Semitism.

Lord Greenhalgh: We do not comment on individual cases.The Government is committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society, and that radicalise others into terrorism.

Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made, if any, of the threat to national security posed bythe preacher Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips.

Lord Greenhalgh: We do not comment on individual cases.The Government is committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society, and that radicalise others into terrorism.

Crime: Ethnic Groups

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps (1)they havetaken, and (2) they intend to take, to address the level of (a) domestic abuse, (b) violence against women and girls, (c) hate crime, (d) online hate, and (e) online radicalisation, experienced by BAME communities.

Lord Greenhalgh: Domestic Abuse and VAWGTackling Domestic abuse and violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a government priority. These abhorrent crimes have no place in our society.We know that anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, regardless of ethnicity or background. That is why the Home Office has provided funding to ‘by and for’ specialist services including , Southall Black Sisters who have been provided with £80,951 in funding during the Covid pandemic.Added to this, our landmark Domestic Abuse Bill which is due to achieve Royal Assent this Spring will strengthen our response to perpetrators and improve our support to victims.This Summer the Government will also publish a strategy to combat Violence Against Women and Girls, followed by a complementary strategy on Domestic Abuse. Hate Crime & Online HateThe Government has been clear that all forms of hate crime are unacceptable and that the cowards who commit these crimes should face the full force of the law. Action under the hate crime action plan 2016-20 (Action Against Hate: The UK Government’s plan for tackling hate crime) included approximately £5 million for protective security measures to protect places of worship and asking the Law Commission to review the effectiveness and coverage of hate crime legislation.In November 2020, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government awarded £1.8 million through the Faith, Race and Hate Crime Grant Scheme to support established community groups and civil society organisations to run short projects to boost shared values and tackle religiously and racially-motivated hate crime.We have published the Full Government Response to the Online Harms White Paper, which includes specific measures to work with private companies and ensure that they are held to account for tackling illegal activity and content, such as hate crime, harassment, and cyber-stalking, as well as activity and content which may not be illegal but is nonetheless highly damaging to individuals (legal but harmful). The Full Government Response will be followed by legislation, which we are working on at pace, and will be ready this year. The Home Office also funds a Police Online Hate Crime Hub to improve the police response to victims of online hate crime. Online radicalisationTerrorist groups use the internet to spread propaganda designed to radicalise, recruit and inspire vulnerable people, and to incite, provide information to enable, and celebrate terrorist attacks. Our objective is to ensure that there are no safe spaces online for all forms of terrorists to promote or share their extreme views.In 2010, we set up the police Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU), based in the Metropolitan Police. To date, over 314,500 individual pieces of terrorist content referred by CTIRU have been removed by companies and the Unit has also informed the design of the EU Internet Referral Unit based at Europol.The Government has also pressed companies to increase the use of technology to automate the detection and removal of content where possible. As a result of continued engagement, companies have expanded the use of automated removals.

International Open University

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the activities of the Islamic Online University in respect of any risk to (1) UK national security, and (2) the incidence of Islamist radicalisation in the UK.

Lord Greenhalgh: We do not comment on individual cases.The Government is committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society, and that radicalise others into terrorism.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Business Premises

Baroness Thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government how their proposals in the Supporting Housing Delivery and Public Service Infrastructure consultation to allow the conversion of use Class E units to residential will operate alongside local plans that have already been developed to identify where housing should be situated.

Baroness Thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that proposals in the Supporting Housing Delivery and Public Service Infrastructure consultation do not lead to developments that (1) fail to meet adequate design standards, and (2) fail to contribute to local areas and result in poorer living environments.

Baroness Thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood of use Class E units converted to residential use, as proposed in the Supporting Housing Delivery and Public Service Infrastructure consultation, returning to high street or town centre uses.

Lord Greenhalgh: The new homes delivered under the Class E to residential Permitted Development Right will help to increase housing supply. The Right will include a prior approval process to allow for local consideration of specific planning matters such as the impact of the introduction of residential use in general industrial, waste management, or storage and distribution areas on future occupiers. In addition, all new homes delivered under the Right will need to meet Nationally Described Space Standards and provide adequate natural light in all habitable rooms. A full Impact Assessment has been prepared which will be published shortly.

Council Housing: Electrical Safety

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of electrical safety issues in local authority housing stock.

Lord Greenhalgh: The English Housing Survey is a continuous national survey commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It collects information annually about people’s housing circumstances and the condition of housing in England.English Housing Survey data shows that local authority (LA) homes are in better condition in respect of electrical safety than other tenures. In 2018, 73% of LA dwellings had all 5 recommended electrical safety features installed. This has increased from 56% in 2010. This compares with 60% of owner-occupied, 62% of private rented and 74% of housing association dwellings.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many residents made homeless by the fire at Grenfell Tower are still in temporary accommodation.

Lord Greenhalgh: All 201 households from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk have accepted an offer of accommodation, and over 95% (195 households) have moved into a new permanent homeCurrently 6 households are not yet in permanent homes. These households are currently living in high quality temporary accommodation. The Council is working with these households at a pace that suits them.

Local Government: Carbon Emissions

Lord Porter of Spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with local governmentto deliver national strategies for carbon reduction.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government is committed to tackling climate change, and local authorities have a vital contribution to make. Their unique insight into local opportunities and priorities, their role as place-shapers, and their convening power enable them to drive carbon emissions reductions and develop climate resilient services across their whole area, with co-benefits for better public health and thriving local economies.Tackling emissions at a local level will make an important contribution to the decarbonisation of transport, energy and buildings. As such, many parts of Government work closely with local government to deliver national strategies for carbon reduction effectively at the local level.In 2020 the Government launched the Greenhouse Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery Scheme, the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and the Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund.The Local Energy programme also supports Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), local authorities and communities in England to play a leading role in decarbonisation and clean growth. The Government's wider plan to work with local government to deliver national strategies for carbon reduction will be set out in our forthcoming net zero strategy.In Spring 2021 we will be publishing a bold and ambitious Transport Decarbonisation Plan which will set out how to achieve net zero emissions across all modes of transport. Different decarbonisation solutions will be required and will work best in different places across the UK, and we have engaged with local government at all levels in developing this PlanThe Government will continue to work closely with local authorities, now and over the course of the net zero transition.